Better decisions for biodiversity and people

Understand and influence decision-making affecting biodiversity.

We rely on biodiversity for our very existence – it provides us with the basic ecosystem services that allow us to survive and thrive. Yet human lives and the biosphere itself are under threat due to the loss of biodiversity occurring at a global scale, and at an accelerating pace. Despite the mounting scientific evidence on the importance of biodiversity, it still takes a back seat to political and other agendas. How can we change this alarming situation?

Every day, we all make decisions that affect biodiversity. From the highest levels of government, policy makers can decide to support or disrupt policies, in particular targeting the major direct drivers of biodiversity loss – overexploitation of natural resources and intensive agriculture. Within businesses, leaders can choose to make investment decisions that at minimum maintain, at maximum promote, or in the business-as-usual scenario, lead to declines in biodiversity. Even on a personal level, we can choose between biodiversity friendly or other options depending on our consumption and lifestyle choices.

But the key question is – what leads to such decisions? Seeing the alarming loss of biodiversity and how it alters our life and health, it is crucial to know how we make such decisions. How do we see biodiversity and how do we communicate about it? What factors influence our choices? How can we trigger system-wide changes in order to better protect biodiversity, the ecosystem, and all our futures?

By exploring these crucial questions, the PLANET4B research project aims to understand and influence decision making affecting biodiversity. Through transdisciplinary, creative, action-orientated, and participatory research the project will collect and analyze theories, methods, and good practices to bridge the gaps in knowledge and effective decision making. The findings will be synthesized and scaled up to EU and global levels to serve as inputs for policies, and for businesses and civil society about how transformative change can be triggered.

The PLANET4B project is a cooperation between 16 partners, universities, NGOs and other organizations, from all around Europe. The PLANET4B project started in November 2022 and will end in 2025. PLANET4B receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082212.

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